Tire-shield.



. H. F. D. MEYER.'

TIRE SHIELD. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1908.

Patented Aug. 16, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. P. D. MEYER.

TIRE SHIELD. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 29, 190B.

Patented Aug. 16, 1910, J I 2SHEETSSHEL?[ 2.

Snow/"tor Hermann. DQM'EYER, on'nnw Yonn, n 1

TmE-sHrELnJ Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 16., 1910 Application filed September 29, 1908 Serial No. 455,364.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN F. D. MEYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and .State. of New Yorlnliave invented a new and useful Improvement in Tirc-Shields,-of which the fol- 0' 'ing is a specification. I

This invention relates to a shield for covering and protecting pneumatic tires, shield ing'them against wear and puncture.

The ln'ventlon also comprlses means for holding said shicldiin place, together with. additional means .forpermitting spring adjustment of the shield to the tire, thus allowing for inequalities in the roadway, and also for the change in size of the tire at different times due .to increase or decrease of the ex tent to which the said tire is inflated.

A further object of the invention is to permit the use of the tire without having the same inflated to its greatest capacity, thus making the pneumatic tire less rigid and consequently increasing its elficien'cy as a cushion, and also reducing the liability of a tire bursting.

The invention consists in the novel featurcs of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which 2-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing a portion of'a sectional cape. Fig. l is a detail perspective view of a spring casing, a cap being removed. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through said casing. 'Figs. 6 and 7 are detail enlarged sectional views illustrating means of attaching opposite end portions of a chain.

In these drawings 1 represents the rear wheel of an automobile provided with a pneumatic tire 2 of any desired make. Fitted over this tire and inclosing its entire tread portion is a shield i of any suitable material, the said shield being circular in form and U-sha aed in cross section. It will be understood that said shield is placed in position while the tire 2 is in a deflated condition, the tire extending to and partially filling the shield, more-or less, as inflated. To prevent skidding and also to insure a firm grip by the drive wheels, the tread portion of the shield 3 is pressed inwardly as shown at 5, thus forming around said tread portion a dove tail slot into which is pressed a solid rubber tire, 5.

In applyinguny invention to the front wheels of an automobile, I employ the same construction as for the rearwhcels except that upon the shieldsfor the front" wheels I omit. the slot and rubber "tire 5. The remaining parts of invention to be now de scribed apply to the invention as applied to both front and rear wheels;

Tothe shield 3I-rivet-a cape 6, said cape" being secured to theside edge portions of said shield, and thesaida'capeis formed in two ,overlapping sections similar to each other in construction. Each section is provided with four or more cut out portions 7 which permit-the sectionsto fit around certainspring casings to be hereafter described,

p and. the cape sections-are also notched as shown at 8 to fit around the wheel spokes' In order to fasten the'cape-sectionstogether, I employ an ordinary glove fastener 9, each section of the cape carrying one of the cooperating members of such fastener adjacent each notch and cut out portion, as indicated in Fig. 3.

It will be obvious that when the tire 2 is inflated to the proper extent and the cape sections are overlapped upon the tire rim and buttoned around the spokes that the said cape sections will hold the shield 3 securely in place without any additional fastening means, and the shield may be ap- I plied and put into use if desired without the additional parts hereafter referred to. But in order to further increase the efliciency of the shield, I provide about the wheelrim a number of casings 10, these casings being preferably four in number. The casings 10 have their upper portions threaded and Whenin use are closed by a cap 1Q threaded upon them. The bottom 11 of the casings is extended upon opposite sides of the easing forming end lugs, as shown in Fig. 4, which lugs are curved to fitthc rim of the wheel and are suitably bolted thereto. The sides of the casing adjacent these bottom extensions are squared and flared out as shown 20 to the body of the rivet, and over these recasing and which bears 'upon a coil spring sary, and which could not b secured if the .15 which spring bears in turn upon the botcape alone was depended upon. tom of the casing. Chalns 16 are pivotally What I claim is connected at their inner ends to bolts 17 device of the kind described comp I g a pneumatic tire of the plates 14, said bolts having squared a cape formed in overlapping sections, sai and slotted heads 18 into the slots of which sections being secured to the shield and overextencll the end links of the chains, pivot lapping upon a wheel rim fastening means ins 9 'fastenin through said heads and carried by the ea c, casings carried by the L0 inks and pivotaly connecting the chains to wheel rim, radia ly arranged springs carb 20 is provided for each ried by said casings, radially movable plates bolt 17 and the projecting portion of the bearing against the inner ends of said bolt is transversely perforated and a cotter springs, and chains connected to said plates, pin 21 passes through said perforation and said chains running through said casings 15 prevents the nuts from-being jarred loose. and being secured to the shield.

The other ends of the chains are pivotally 2. A device of the kind described comprisconnected'to the shield by means of a rivet ,ing a shield inclosing the tread portion of a 22 provided with an inwardly extending pneumatic tire, casings carried by ai wheel squared redpced end portion 23, at an angle rim, said casings having flared opposite sides providing chain openings, a plate movably duced portions fit the end links of the outer held in each casing, a sprlng 1n each casin ends of the chains, said links being held to bearing upon said plate and tending to said reduced portions by means of pivot force the same radially toward the wheel pins 24. hub, and chains running through said chain 25 By means of this construction, it will be openings, each chain being plvotally connbvious that the chains will connect the nected at one end to said late and at the shield to the plates 14, which plates in turn other end to the said shield: as and for the are pressed inwardly on a radial line with purpose set forth.

- respect to the ,wheel by the springs, 15, and HERMAN F. D. MEYER.

7 do that sald springs will tend to hold the Witnesses:

shield closely to the tire, and at the same EDWARD F. MEi'ER, time will allow the amount of play neces- JOHN C. WATSON. 

